variants
also flunkey
or flunkie
1
as in servant
a person hired to perform household or personal services
since I'm just the flunky who files his papers, I've no idea where he is
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sycophant
a person who flatters another in order to get ahead
a rock star who saw through the phonies and the flunkies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flunky
No matter what spec-chart flunkies might say about a car that merely hits 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, GT 63 proved as ferocious and exhilarating as any front-engine GT car available, whether German, Italian or English.
—
Mark Ewing, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Jin and his other flunkies excuse themselves, but Tetsu keeps Botan there to question him.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 24 July 2024
By quieting the clamor among the offended Giants, Mays was not acting as a flunky for his white manager.
—Aram Goudsouzian / Made By History, TIME, 25 June 2024
One fib could land him in jail with the rest of his flunkies.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Mark Ewing, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Jin and his other flunkies excuse themselves, but Tetsu keeps Botan there to question him.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 24 July 2024
By quieting the clamor among the offended Giants, Mays was not acting as a flunky for his white manager.
—Aram Goudsouzian / Made By History, TIME, 25 June 2024
One fib could land him in jail with the rest of his flunkies.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for flunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunky
Noun
-
In the trailer, Bettany walks up to a white mansion and is greeted by human servants who are really just recreated AI programs.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The servants of this democratic republic’s machinery are, in truth, nothing but members of a mafia set up to plunder the island’s riches—and the West is complicit, with its own interests in the riches underground, in the ocean, from the soil.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The only character who seems entirely transparent is Frederik, who can’t hide his resentment of his second-class spousal status or his contempt for the sycophants and mediocrities who cling to his wife like barnacles.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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This willingness of the AI to heap praise and act as a sycophant has worrying consequences for the populace as a whole.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Netflix After Jake betrays Vince by tricking him into revealing his whereabouts to Mancuso and his lackey Babbitt (Chris Coy) to protect Vince's daughter Gen (Odessa Young) and get her to safety, Jake rushes to help Vince once again escape a vengeful Mancuso's clutches.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
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In the months before the $5 million match, Ali turned up the invective, calling Frazier dumb, mocking his dark skin, and painting him as a lackey for his white handlers.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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California’s vulnerable House Republicans are a diverse gaggle that includes new blood and old-timers, a Trump antagonist and a Trump lickspittle.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittles to our Kingsguard.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
7 July 2024
Noun
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Financial advisory and consultancy Deloitte has inked a deal to bring the AI assistant Claude to the firm's more than 470,000 employees globally, a rollout that CNBC reports is the largest-ever enterprise deployment for the AI startup.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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So many Steves… A freak occurrence at Blackpool, where Steve Bruce was sacked as head coach, along with assistant Steve Agnew and coach Stephen Clemence.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Like many digital beings, Reps, as Replika’s avatars are known, are engineered to be agreeable, nonjudgmental, and zealously supportive—i.e., suck-ups.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Matthew eventually one-ups the request by losing his boxers as well and going full Winnie the Pooh, which earns him the respect of his fellow suck-ups.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This draft meeting resembled a bully in the high school cafeteria seeking toadies — any veneer of scouting objectivity was shed.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
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In the past, Newsom denounced judges who ruled against them as toadies of the firearms industry.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Some fans on social media speculated that the pop star’s T-shirt might be a subtle jab at Swift, who frequently visits Kansas City with her fiancé, Travis Kelce.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
12 Oct. 2025
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There will be a lot of Cowboys fans in the crowd.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunky. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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